Finally
by Court Jester 21
Summary: Alicia makes a change-how will it affect her relationship with Will?
1. Chapter 1

_My ideas about what should happen in the series. . . enjoy and review if you want to see more._

_Disclaimer: This is my plan for what will happen in TGW. If you don't see this in the upcoming episodes, you'll know these aren't my characters. (Yes, I'm sarcastic. No, I don't own Will and/or Alicia.)_

Will took another gulp from his glass of scotch as he watched her paraded across the television screen for the umpteenth time tonight. She had been the number one story on all of the local news stations for the evening news tonight. By the 11:00 showing, he thought he probably had the story memorized.

_She did it, _he thought. _She finally did it. _He sighed and lifted his glass again. Will had waited for this day for the past 3 years, ever since he had first seen her dominating the news stations. He wondered what this could mean for them. What it meant for the future. Their future?

Will shook his head to clear that line of thoughts from his brain. He couldn't think about that now. He shouldn't think about that ever. But if he was being honest with himself, that was what he thought of most of the time now. He settled farther down into the couch and just watched her face on the screen. Old photos, new photos, a clip from the interview she did during Peter's campaign. He could get lost in her face, and now he had the luxury of staring at her without getting caught.

A light knock on the door roused him from his thoughts. He set his glass down on the coffee table and stood up. He pressed the mute button on the remote as his bare feet padded along the floor of his apartment on his way to the door. He wasn't sure who would come to his door so late, but he decided to answer the faint knocking. As he reached the door, he leaned down to see through the peephole. He pulled back from the door quickly with surprise, then reached for the knob and jerked the door open.

"Alicia?" he asked, the surprise evident in his voice and in his expression. Her head was bowed, but as she raised her face to look at him, her reddened face and swollen eyes told him she had been crying for quite awhile. _Wow, this must be rough,_ Will thought to himself. He had never seen her cry like that before. Not in all of the years he had known her.

For the briefest of moments, he felt a pang of jealousy. That she would cry like that for him, for that dirtbag. She had to know by now that he wasn't worth it.

"Hi," she said quietly. She paused a moment to gather herself. "If this isn't a bad time, may I come in?"

"Of course," he replied, stepping aside for her to enter his apartment. She just took a couple of steps inside the door and he shut the door behind her. She turned around to face him, shaking her loose hair back from her face.

"I'm sorry to bother you so late. I just-" she broke down a bit trying to get the words out. "I just didn't know where else to go." She swallowed to clear her throat of the sob that seemed stuck there. "I tried to go home, but I couldn't face them all again." She mumbled the end of her sentence as her gaze shifted down to her hands.

He knew she meant the cameras and the press. They had been staked out at her apartment all day. He had seen the clips on the news of the reporters posted outside her building.

"Peter took the kids to-" her composure crumpled at the thought of her children, "-to his mother's". She burst into tears once more and buried her face in her hands, ashamed of what this had done to her. This wasn't her. She had never been this person that displayed every emotion. But it was who she was today. Her shields were gone, and all she had left were her tears.

Will stepped toward her and wrapped both arms around her, pressing her head against his shoulder. She cried harder now and as the sobs wracked her body, he pulled her even closer and whispered, "Shhhhhhh," into her hair.

Will racked his brain to think of what he should say. He was never at a loss for words, he was never stumped or tongue tied in court. But in this moment, he simply couldn't think of a single thing that would be appropriate to say. The sounds of her sobs were breaking his heart. He slowly rocked her back and forth and kept silent.

After a few minutes, her sobs were becoming quieter, but she didn't pull away so Will didn't dare to let her go. Will realized that she was still shaking but it wasn't from the sobbing anymore. Her knees began to buckle underneath her, and Will finally released his arms. He held her up and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, leading her to the sofa. "Come sit down," he said quietly. She finally pulled her hands from her face as they walked and rapidly wiped the tears from her eyes.

He sat her down in the middle of the sofa and without losing contact with her, he sat down at the end. He pulled her toward him as he motioned for her to lay her head down on his lap. She hesitated a moment and Will wasn't sure if she didn't understand him or if she was deciding if this was something she should do. She ended up with her feet stretched on one end of the couch and her head in Will's lap on the other end. The tears continued streaming down her face, but she didn't hide them this time. She folded her hands and tucked them between her bent knees. Will gently stroked the hair back from her face, caressing her over and over to calm her nerves.

He remembered the days when her hair was a mass of dark curls and he longed for the chance to touch them. Inside he smiled at the memory, a part of him wishing her hair was curly now. Outwardly, he continued to be her friend with the stone cold lawyer face to hide his emotions.

She was staring off in the direction of the television, and Will suddenly remembered what he had been watching when she came to the door. He looked up to the screen, but the newscasters had moved on to less exciting stories. He reached out for the remote to shut it off anyway. It was only a small thing, but it was the one thing he could shield her from.

Will studied her face, examining her beauty despite the evidence of her tears. Her skin had become red and blotchy from crying, her eyes were swollen, her nose reddened and her eye makeup smeared around her face, but she was still the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. His hands moved into her hair boldly as he began massaging her scalp, and he thanked his lucky stars for this moment with her.

His mind wandered a bit to other, more exotic, moments he'd shared with her. Every once in a while she would raise a hand to her face to wipe her tears, but slowly she was calming down. They sat like a frozen, silent statue on his couch for a long time. Eventually her tears stopped, but neither of them could find the words to move forward. So she continued to stare blankly ahead. He continued stroking her hair and massaging her scalp. And they said nothing.


	2. Chapter 2

_Sorry it has taken me so long to update! Already working on next chapter, so hopefully the next update will be sooner. Hey, we've got to have something to get us through the summer, right?_

_Still sarcastic, still don't own these guys._

_They sat like a frozen, silent statue on his couch for a long time. Eventually her tears stopped, but neither of them could find the words to move forward. So she continued to stare blankly ahead. He continued stroking her hair and massaging her scalp. And they said nothing._

Will was roused from his thoughts by her sniffle. He blushed a bit when he realized he'd been recalling a rather intimate moment between them. He looked down to see her eyes had drifted closed, but he could tell by her breathing that she was awake. He looked up to the clock on the wall and realized they had been on his couch for over an hour. It was now after midnight, and they had to make a decision about where to go from here.

"Alicia," he whispered gently to get her attention. Her eyes flew open and he felt her body tense just slightly. "Can I get you anything?" he offered.

She just shook her head in refusal. "It's pretty late. Would you like to stay the night?" She looked up towards him, a questioning look on her face. He knew what she was thinking and answered her unspoken question. "I'll stay on the couch," he replied quietly.

She nodded her head as she whispered, "Ok" and moved to sit up on the couch, lifting her head from his lap.

"Is there anything I can do to help you sleep," he asked, wondering how she could ever fall asleep after such a day. She refused silently, strong and stoic once again. He remembered everything about her though, and thought of something to offer her that would be difficult for her to refuse.

"I can get a bath ready for you if you'd like," he offered.

She looked up at him and for the first time that evening, she looked him in the eye and smiled slightly. "That sounds nice," she said, reminded again that he knew her so well.

He gently touched her knee as he stood and said, "Ok, I'll be right back." He walked off towards his bathroom and left her sitting on the couch. Distantly, she heard the water begin running. He did know her very well. Probably better than anyone else, except Owen of course. And Peter. Peter. She felt her stomach sink at the thought of him. How was he tonight? How were Zach and Grace doing? Was Jackie working her tricks in Alicia's absence?

She shook her head to clear her thoughts. She wouldn't focus on this now. Worrying about it wouldn't change anything and she knew that. She just needed to remind herself. Often.

She stood and walked across Will's living room. She noticed the pictures of his sisters and nieces. She admired them for a moment, then realized she knew very little about this part of his life. This was also something she didn't want to think about now, and so she wandered down the hallway after the sound of running water.

She expected to find him in the guest bathroom, but the small room was dark and empty. She continued into his bedroom and found Will kneeling on the floor of his master bathroom, testing the temperature of the water in his giant bathtub. He had one sleeve rolled up to keep it from getting drenched in the water, and she found the entire scene endearing. Somewhere deep inside, she felt the urge to burst into tears again and she fought it with everything she had.

He must have heard her, because he turned his head to throw a glance over his shoulder at her. He was grabbing a towel to dry his hands when she said, "You don't have to do this."

"But I want to," he replied. He finished with the towel and placed it gently on the towel rack as he walked toward her. "I know there's not much I can do to help, but if this helps you, I want to do it." He wore his courtroom face, void of any expression of tenderness, but his quiet voice soothed her. His serious eyes bore into her until she lowered her gaze and nodded, as if agreeing that he could help her.

Will went back to the tub to shut off the water and then turned back to her. "The controls for the jets are here," he pointed them out to her. "I'm not sure if they even work. I've never used them." He looked slightly embarrassed, as if he'd made some secret admission.

Alicia mistook his embarrassment. She thought he meant he should have used them with her. Again, she offered a quiet, slight smile as she looked to the floor, but Will missed it. "Let me get you some clean clothes," he said as he left the room. He returned in just a moment and left a folded stack of clothes for her on the counter.

She stood alone in the center of his bathroom, an island of beauty in the ocean of cold tile. He stepped backwards towards the door and asked, "Is there anything else I can get for you?"

"No," she said, making quick eye contact before averting her eyes. "Thank you, Will," she whispered, glancing at him quickly again.

"It's not a problem, Alicia," he said as he reached for the door. He was closing the door from the outside as he stuck his head back in to say, "Just let me know if there's anything you need." He shut the door firmly and heard the latch click. He walked a couple of laps around his bedroom, hands shoved deep in his pockets, looking for something to do. Then he remembered his purpose.

He re-made his bed with fresh sheets for Alicia. He turned off the lights in the room and turned on the lamp for her. He walked quickly to the kitchen to fill a glass with water and get two tablets of Tylenol PM. He glanced around the room again. With nothing else to do, he leaned against the wall next to the bathroom and door slid to the floor. He hoped she didn't hear the thump as he hit the ground.

He leaned his head back against the wall and brought his arms up around his knees. Taking in a deep breath, he tried to process the events of the day. He could hear the jets running in the tub. He hoped she was able to relax. He tried not to think of her in the tub, but he couldn't help himself. He should have tried out those jets with her when they were together. He tried to wipe the smile off of his face at the thought of it. He listened harder to see if she was still crying. He couldn't tell over the sound of the rushing water.

After awhile, he heard the jets shut off and the water swishing before the drain was lifted from the tub and the water began to drain. He could hear her stepping out of the water and imagined her drying herself on his towel. He wouldn't wash that one. He'd keep it as a sacred memorial to her. He shook his head to clear those thoughts and scolded himself. He knew he shouldn't be listening and that she shouldn't find him sitting here when she came out of the bathroom. He moved to the chair on the other side of his bedroom instead, and pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. He pretended to be reading his email while he waited for her.

Alicia ran the towel over her damp hair and dressed quickly. She caught a glance of her face in the mirror, still red and swollen and now wiped clean of her makeup. She looked like a plain, sterile version of herself, bleached clean of the most familiar traits with only a few distinct features left behind. Her pale skin, the shape of her nose, her dark hair framing her face. She placed her hands flat on the counter and forced her gaze down, fighting back tears once again. She thought the tension in her shoulders might steel her soul against the trauma to her heart. She drew in a sharp breath, flipped her head back up and stepped to the door.

She found Will sitting in the dim bedroom. He stood up and walked to her, saying, "I thought you might like something to help you sleep." He gestured toward the pills and water next to the bed.

She nodded as she sat on the edge of the bed. She smiled and gave a quiet, "Thanks," before she swallowed.

Will gestured for her to climb under the sheets and he covered her up. He kneeled next to the bed and pushed her damp hair back from her face. He stared into her face with genuine concern as he asked, "Alicia, can I do anything else for you?"

She shook her head to indicate no. Will turned off the lamp and began to walk out of the room. He was shutting the door when he heard the lamp snap back on behind him.

"Will," Alicia called, with a tone in her voice that Will didn't recognize. He turned around to see her half sitting up in his bed. His raised eyebrows were his only answer. Alicia turned her glance down as she said, "I'm embarrassed to even ask you this, but would you sit with me?" She met his eyes with her own. "Just until I fall asleep," she added.

He nodded and said, "Of course," as he moved to pull over the chair from the corner of the room. He sat beside her, feeling awkward that he was unsure what she wanted from him.

She sensed his uncertainty as she lay back down and settled into his pillow. "Tell me something I don't know about you," Alicia said. "Make it a good story," she added with a smile.

Will leaned back in the chair as he thought, propping one foot against the rail on the bed to aid the process. "I don't know what you know about me," he said with a grin, stalling for more time.

"Well, I met you in Georgetown, so something before that," she suggested.

Will leaned forward and clasped his hands together as he began his tale. He was telling her about his state baseball championships in high school, how awful the refs were and how they only won by the skin of their teeth. He told her about their victory celebration and returning home as almost heroes, as their fellow students didn't value the baseball team too much. He told her about his senior year, the girl he dated, his fights with his parents, his graduation and how he chose Georgetown for pre-law. When he looked up, she was asleep on his pillow. He hadn't noticed her nodding off as she sat there quietly absorbing his stories.

He pushed the chair away from the bed so she wouldn't trip over it when she tried to get up. He was reaching to shut off the lamp, and glanced at her gorgeous sleeping form. For the second time that night, he had the chance to stare at her unobserved. He had loved this about their time together, on the few occasions he had had to watch her sleep. He couldn't hold himself back from kissing her temple lightly before he turned off the lamp and left the room to make his bed on the couch.


	3. Chapter 3

_Thanks for waiting on my update. Trying to move faster these days!_

_These still aren't my peeps, but I can dream, right?_

_He couldn't hold himself back from kissing her temple lightly before he turned off the lamp and left the room to make his bed on the couch._

Alicia wasn't sure where she was when she awoke. She emitted a soft groan as the events of the day before came back to her. She looked around. Yes, she was definitely sleeping in Will's bed, and she was definitely alone. The other side of the bed remained untouched. She knew she shouldn't be there. She just had to figure out how to escape the situation.

A glance at the clock told her it was just after 5. She would quickly get dressed and get back home before the reporter crowd started their day.

Back in her crumpled clothes from yesterday, she tip-toed down the hallway, shoes in hand. She was half way across the living room when she heard Will's voice. "You sneaking out on me?"

He was sitting up on the couch, his hair still headed in all directions from his night spent sleeping on the couch. He was obviously awake, but it hadn't been for long. She shrugged her shoulders in answer to his teasing question. "What else does one do in such an embarrassing position?" She wore a sheepish expression on her face and Will's heart went out to her. He patted the couch cushion beside him for her to sit down. She hesitated a moment and then obliged him, crossing the room to sit beside him. She folded one leg under herself as she sat, carefully avoiding his eye contact.

They sat in silence a few moments before she finally spoke. "Will, I'm so sorry for last night. I had no right to impose..."

He cut her off by placing his hand on her knee. "It was fine, Alicia. You did the right thing." She looked at him, questioning his response. He continued, "We're still friends right?" She nodded silently. After another moment of silence he said, "Do you want to tell me what happened?"

Alicia took in a deep breath, still deciding what to tell him. She met his eyes and nodded. He shifted on the couch to face her, still clad in his pajamas with the blanket halfway fallen off the couch, and waited for her to begin. She adjusted to get comfortable as she contemplated where to start. She opened her mouth to begin, then shut it again.

Will could tell she was flustered. He tried to hide his disappointment as he told her, "It's ok, Alicia. You don't have to say anything."

She turned to meet his eyes again. He didn't see the tears that had collected there when she spoke to him last night. "No Will, I want to. You deserve an explanation." She paused a moment and then repeated, "After everything, you deserve an explanation."

Will said, "Okay," and settled back and waited for her to be ready.

This time, when she opened her mouth, she really did begin her story. "When I came to you, when I asked that we end things between us in your office that day, I wanted to be sure that I could give my children the attention that they needed. With work and keeping secrets and sharing the kids with Peter, I wasn't giving them what I needed to offer them. Grace had been missing and I was so terrified until she came home. I realized that I had to eliminate some of the complications in our lives, and I'm so sorry that affected you. I always tried so hard to keep you from being affected by all the drama in my life, and I guess I failed pretty badly at that."

Will tried to process what she was saying and formulate a response, but she quickly moved on, leaving him to contemplate his response as she spoke. "I just need you to know that I didn't go back to Peter. I know it probably looked that way with the campaign, and maybe I should have told you, but at the time I didn't think it mattered. I didn't go back to him. I supported him politically, and I still support him politically, but that was all."

Alicia drew in a deep breath and pushed the stray hair out of her eyes. Will's head was spinning with all of this new information as Alicia continued.

"Peter and I agreed to wait until after the election to file for divorce. We filed on Tuesday, and as you know, the press has been all over it. I knew that it would be a big story, but I just didn't expect it to get so ugly. The kids were harassed at their school by reporters, there have been nasty stories floating around the internet, and I just can't help but think that this is my fault. I wanted this, I started it and now it's hurting my children and I can't stop it. When my parents divorced, I swore I could never hurt my children that way, but now I have."

She wasn't crying. Her voice hadn't broken. Today she was defeated, but calm. She felt like a numb little person living inside her large body, but so disconnected from the world. She just sat, staring straight ahead, with nothing more to say.

Will finally understood. All of this was about her kids. She wasn't heartbroken over Peter. She hadn't left him to go back to Peter. She did what she thought was best for her children. Never having had children, Will found it difficult to know what to say next. He couldn't know what she was feeling, he could only attempt to offer her some comfort.

"Alicia, I don't know your children, but I know you. And I know that you have sacrificed everything that you could for them for the past 16 years. And I know that they have to see that. Deep down, they have to know where your heart is."

"Yeah," she replied with a whisper, nodding her head as she continued to stare at the floor in front of her. Then she looked up to him, and with the slightest of smiles, she said, "Thanks, Will."

A brief silence passed between them, but after a moment Alicia shifted to the edge of the couch to stand up and said, "I should go. I need to call Zach and Grace anyway."

"Ok," Will said softly. Then he looked up to meet her eyes. "Have you figured out how to beat the reporters yet?"

She shrugged and said, "They should have gone home by now. Who wants to camp out in the rain anyway! I'll slip in before they show up today."

Will just shook his head, reluctant to give her more bad news. "I saw them on the news this morning. They're still out there." Will told her regretfully.

"Are you sure they weren't repeating broadcasts from yesterday?" she asked with her eyebrows raised and her face full of hope.

Will nodded silently. "Yesterday it rained all day. The shots I saw this morning were not from yesterday." Will gestured towards his window where the sunlight was steaming in between the other high rise buildings. There could be no mistaking today's weather for yesterday.

"Shit," Alicia muttered as she plopped back down on the couch.

"Let me get you some coffee," Will offered quietly. Alicia just nodded, lost inside her head as she tried to sort out her dilemma. Will rose and went into the kitchen.

She couldn't just go straight to work. Not like this. She had no new clothes, no makeup, her hair was a mess. She would need to stop at home first, but the swarm that was apparently gathered outside her building would make it tough to get in without making a comment.

Eli had advised her to stay quiet for now. Not to be rude to the cameras, but not to offer up any impromptu interviews without his approval. For once, Alicia listened to him. She still wanted to see Peter succeed in his career and didn't want that to suffer because of her decision to divorce. As long as it didn't cause her kids to suffer, Alicia would listen to Eli until this all blew over.

So she couldn't face the cameras, which meant she couldn't go home. But where else could she go? She had nothing packed to be away from home for several days. She needed to get to work, which meant she needed to get home. Short of a helicopter dropping her off on the roof, she saw no feasible way to make that happen.

She heard Will's bare feet on the cold floor as he approached from the kitchen with two steaming mugs in his hands. He handed her one and she took a sip. She looked back up at him in surprise.

"How did you remember how I like my coffee?" she asked him as he sat down beside her on the couch.

Now it was Will's turn to shrug as he stared down into his own cup before lifting it to take a drink. "Lucky guess," he said with a mischievous smile directed at his coffee mug.

Alicia chose to ignore his comment for now. There were too many other things on her mind. They both sat in a comfortable silence as they pondered the next move.

Eventually, Will spoke up. "Let me call Diane and tell her that you won't be in today."

Before Alicia could even finish saying, "But Will..." he cut her off.

"You can't go to work without going home to change, and if we do get you into your apartment you'd be better off staying there." Alicia silenced her complaints at his reasonable argument. Will continued, "Your cases can wait, and Carey can step in on anything that can't wait for today. This is important and you deserve to pay attention to it."

He paused before asking, "Have you taken a sick day since you started?"

Sheepishly, she replied, "No."

Will smiled and said, "Well, you sure look sick to me. Better go rest so you feel better!" He walked away, putting his cell phone to his ear to call Diane.

Will told Diane that he was calling to check in with her about the morning, since he would be coming in late today. He mentioned that Alicia called him to say that she was taking a sick day and hoped that Diane didn't see through his fib. He listened to her drone on about a problem that had come up with a case before she finally told him she'd see him at the office later in the morning.

He returned to find Alicia exactly where he left her. "Done," he told her with a sly grin.

"But now what? I can't just sit on your couch forever." There was hopelessness in her voice that was foreign to him. He knew she was just not herself in this situation. In a way, it made his little white lie to Diane somewhat true.

"Relax," he said, plopping down beside her on the couch. "I'm coming up with a plan."


End file.
